They really did it.
All this time, I thought it was a bluff. They were trying to scare him, to light a fire in him, to push his buttons. Somehow, around now, they'd find a way to keep him.
It might be an outfield injury, or they'd simply punt on Randal Grichuk. Somehow, Jasson Dominguez would return, as he'd do in almost any other organization in baseball.
Nope. They did it. They farmed him out.
So... what next? Dunno. But he's 22, people. He's ready. And don't let them wave the shiny object, Dax Kilby, in our eyes: Dominguez remains the most important prospect in the Yankee organization. He has speed, he has power, and he hit .257 last year, 45 points higher than the perennial returnee, Anthony Volpe.
And they have sent him to Scranton.
I know what they say: Dominguez needs to play every day. I get it. I agree... sorta. But the guy needs to play in the Majors, not Scranton. And by discarding him, I fear they are playing with fire.
Mark these words: He won't do well there. We'll watch every at-bat, mull every line-score, and lament every strikeout. No matter how you slice it, a guy who should be playing MLB will be toiling in Triple A, disillusioned and depressed, all because he didn't fit into some front office algorithm based on platoons and contracts. It happens commonly with the Yankees. If this front office was running the 1951 Yankees, they would have dispensed with the young outfielder who hit .267, because the kid - Mantle - was no Randal Grichuk.
Hopefully, sometime, around July, Dominguez will return. But I think there is a very real chance that he disappears, permanently, in a deadline trade package. For six years, Yank fans will have watched him rise, only to see the Yankee brain trust exile him to Nowhere.
He's gone, folks. Damn. I didn't think it would really happen.
Just as regular citizens are not humans to the oligarchs, prospects are not humans to the ownership class. They are pawns. We are talking about a complete lack of empathy. No, "I wonder how he'll feel if we do this?" or "How will affect his mental health?" Just another pawn in a lockout year. Fuck Hal. Eat the rich.
ReplyDeleteSociopaths don't have empathy, Bit.
DeleteThey have done this before, most recently with Clint Frazer among others. Surprisingly (not really), the demotion never quite seems to work out and another budding MLB ready player bites the dust while the NYY are left holding their puds while other teams create opportunities for the kids to grow. Maybe they never quite get there, but at least they are given a chance. Sometimes these dudes are just to damn “smart”.
ReplyDeleteNice piece, Duque. And very well put, Bitty. Among other things, this illustrates—once again—how little idea Hal & Pal have of what actual baseball fans like to see. Young players coming up out of the minors and making it is an indispensable part of the rooting process. It's what binds us to the team.
ReplyDeleteThey just don't get this—or they don't care. Either way, it diminishes the fan experience more every year.
I believed Dumbass Cashman when he said there was no place for Dominguez on the major league roster. Because this is exactly the kind of thing Cashman likes to do. I don't know how Dominguez will play in AAA, if he'll be great, if he'll be a mediocrity, or just fizzle out. But I do think that, even if he plays great down there, he's not going to come up. He'll be in AAA the entire year. Cashman hates developing young players. Randal Grichuk and Trent Grisham are infinitely better players to Cashman's eyes. Even if Grichuk and Grisham hit under .100 this year, you won't see The Martian come up.
ReplyDeleteI've said it before - as much as it pains me - the only way Dominguez gets everyday playing time in the majors is to get traded. So that's what I'm hoping will happen.
ReplyDeleteAnd with the lockout next year, you know there's a chance that Dominguez will never develop, never get that chance. Jasson may just have been born under an unlucky star. First the coronavirus epidemic, now the lockout. It may be that it was just never meant to be.
After all HoG, maybe none of this was never meant to be.
DeleteAnd personally - I would never eat the rich. They'd probably taste god awful regardless of how well they're marinated, rested and roasted.
Yucko !
There are plenty of ways that you can hurt a man
And bring him to the ground
You can beat him, you can cheat him, you can treat him bad
And leave him when he's down, yeah
But I'm ready, yes I'm ready for you
I'm standing on my own two feet
Out of the doorway, the bullets rip
Repeating to the sound of the beat, oh yeah
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust, yeah
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
Love that song, AA! I think the coolest part is the break in the middle, Freddie Mercury with the a cappella bit. Just awesome!
DeleteContrast that with Aaron Judge's opportunity in 2016-2017. I think the difference with Judge was that he got outside hitting instruction in winter of 2016 and turned in a monster 2017 season. They simply couldn't send him back down. Judge also walked into a rebuilding situation in 2016. He was in the right place at the right time. After the 84 at bats in 2016, Cashman must've liked what he saw: a guy who strikes out and hits home runs. It's a certainty that Cashman never foresaw that Judge would turn into the best player in baseball. If Cashman had known how Judge would explode in 2017, I think Cashman stashes Judge in AAA until age 29. That way, HAL would never have had to pay for a huge contract.
ReplyDeleteI have to salute Cashman for his money making genius. In what other business can you make a billion bucks without paying any taxes, generate zero profit on paper, and cry poverty? That's why HAL pays him the big bucks. That's why Cashman still has a job. HAL likes the financial side of Cashman's talent.
ReplyDeleteHell, I couldn't do that consistently for 16 years. Maybe I could hold the fort for a year or two, but after awhile, the Ponzi scheme would fall apart. Cashman is like Bernie Madoff, generating great returns, but unlike Madoff, Cashman is for real. The return on investment is no joke.
Good point, HOG. Perhaps we are not thinking outside the box here. As I always tell myself, in the mirror every evening, in fact: I am not a 4D chess master. Brian is.
DeleteHere's one for ya, 13bit, I couldn't believe it when I first heard this one back in me school days. Just hilarious, courtesy of Motorhead (the band that doesn't give a fuck about anything), circa 1987, lyrics from duckduckgo:
ReplyDeleteThey say music is the food of love
Let's see if you're hungry enough
Take a bite, take another
Just like a good boy would
Get a sweet thing on the side
Home cooking, homicide
Side order, could be your daughter
Finger licking good
Come on, baby, eat the rich
Put the bite on the son of a bitch
Don't mess up, don't you give me no switch
Come on, baby, and eat the rich
Come on, baby, and eat the rich
Sittin' down in a restaurant
Tell the waiter just what you want
Is that the meat you wanted to eat?
How would you ever know?
Hash browns and bacon strips
I love the way that you lick your lips
No fooling, I can see you drooling
Feel the hunger grow
Come on, baby, eat the rich
Put the bite on the son of a bitch
Don't mess up, don't you give me no switch
Come on, baby, and eat the rich
Come on, baby, and eat the rich
Come on, honey, here's your supper
Come on, baby, bite that sucker
I'll eat you, baby, you eat me
Eat two, baby, get one free
Shetland pony, extra pepperoni
Just pick up the phone
Eat Greek or eat Chinese
Eat salad or scarf up grease
You're on the shelf, you eat yourself
Come on and bite my bone
Come on, baby, eat the rich
Bite down on the son of a bitch
Don't mess around, don't you give me no switch
Come on, baby, and eat the rich
Come on, baby, and eat the rich
Sittin' here in a hired tuxedo
You wanna see my bacon torpedo
Eat it, baby, eat the rich
Eat it, baby, eat the rich
Eat it, baby, eat the rich
Eat it, baby, eat the rich
It's a beautiful morning,
ReplyDeleteUh, like - you - know
Each bird keeps singing his own song
Then dies
Uh Oh
I've got to be on my way now, as well
See Yah
Uh Oh
(Ain't) no fun just hanging around
Above ground
Uh Oh
It just ain't no good if the sun shines
When you're still inside
(should hide)
Still inside
(should hide)
Still inside
(should hide)
Still in-
oh,
oh,
oh,
oh,
oh,
oh
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !
Duque, you thought the Yankees would punt. I knew they would. Please take a look at how the Yankees run their business. They are morons. They keep making poor decisions. Grishom was enevr worth 22 million, but the Genius did. Sabean, would never give him that much. The Yankees are enthralled by the home run. Grishek was nothing special in 2025. Yet, the Genius brought him in. Wells is not hitting this Spring. 2026 will be the same old shit. Low batting averages, striekouts and waiting for the homerun.
ReplyDeleteHAL and Ca$hole hate the fans.
ReplyDeleteThat's the only way any of their machinations make any sense.
"The Grisham qualifying offer blocked a 23-year-old who played 123 games in the big leagues last season. The Winquest Rule 5 pick forced the Yankees to keep a pitcher with a 5.79 spring ERA over one who posted 0.96. Neither decision was forced on Cashman. Both were choices."
ReplyDeletehttps://pinstripesnation.com/yankees-move-confirms-fears-around-cashmans-two-missteps-2026-03-21/
Cashman is an inept asshole.